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Rivendell
Rivendell, also known as Imladris, was an Elven outpost in Middle-earth. It is also referred to as "The Last Homely House East of the Sea", a reference to Valinor, which is west of the Great Sea in Aman. Location Rivendell was located at the edge of a narrow gorge of the river Loudwater (one of the main approaches to Rivendell comes from the nearby Ford of Bruinen), but well hidden in the moorlands and foothills of the Misty Mountains. History Second Age Rivendell was established by Elrond in the Second Age of Middle-earth in SA 1697. Following the establishment of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, the hosts of Gil-galad and Elendil march to Rivendell and proceed westwards to Dagorlad. Third Age In the Third Age, the heirs of Isildur were fostered in Rivendell and the heirlooms were kept by Elrond. Quest for Erebor During the Quest for the Lonely Mountain, Bilbo Baggins and the Company of Thorin stopped off at Rivendell. Bilbo described it as "a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all."The Hobbit, Chapter III: "A Short Rest" After the quest, Bilbo and Gandalf returned there and were greeted again by the elves.The Hobbit, Chapter XIX: "The Last Stage" War of the Ring Years later, Frodo Baggins and his Hobbit companions journeyed to Rivendell, where they met with Bilbo, who had retired there after his eleventy-first birthday. Several other Elves, Dwarves and Men also arrived at Rivendell on separate errands;The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter I: "Many Meetings" at the Council of Elrond they learnt that all of their errands are related to the fate of the One Ring, and they must decide what to do about it. In the end, it was the Hobbits who influenced the decision. There was a large hall with a dais and several tables for feasting. Another hall, the Hall of Fire, had a fire in it all year round with carven pillars on either side of the hearth; it was used for singing and story telling on high days but stood empty the rest of the time so people could go there to quietly think. The eastern side of the house had a porch where Frodo Baggins found his friends once he awakened and where the Council of Elrond was held.The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book Two, Chapter II: "The Council of Elrond" Rivendell was protected from attack (mainly by the River Bruinen, Elrond, and Elven magic), but Elrond himself said that Rivendell is a place of peace and learning, not a stronghold of battle. There were a few assaults on Rivendell in various video games, and they were either failures or successes depending on whether Sauron found the Ring. After the War and of Elrond's departure, his sons Elladan and Elrohir lived in Rivendell. Their grandfather Celeborn lived with them for a while until he finally took ship and sailed West.The Lord of the Rings, Prologue, "Note on the Shire Records" Inhabitants Aside from Elrond, several notable elves lived there: *Celebrían, Lady of Rivendell and Elrond's wife *Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond *Arwen, who stayed there throughout the War of the Ring *Glorfindel *Erestor *Gildor *Lindir Etymology Imladris is a Sindarin term which means "deep valley of the cleft": from imlad ("glen, deep valley") and rist ("cleft") or riss ("ravine"). Behind the Scenes The valley of Imladris (within which Rivendell is situated) was based upon the landscape of Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. Tolkien was said to have journeyed to this region; his original painting of Rivendell is significantly similar to the Lauterbrunnen itself. References External link * fr:Fondcombe it:Gran Burrone de:Bruchtal es:Rivendel ja:裂け谷 nl:Rivendel pl:Rivendell ru:Ривенделл Category:Realms Category:Elven Cities Category:Eriador